I really wish I could put more detail into this, but since they're going at it on plain, flat land, it's really hard to do so as opposed to an antique store or a pirate ship. Not only that, but Jack is so much easier to describe when battling, since he has more character than Danny.And I don't wanna get any "I could've written it better" reviews. I'm doing my best, people.

Disclaimer: I don't own either "Danny Phantom" or "Pirates of the Caribbean". Most of the characters you see are either property of Nickelodeon or Disney. Some others are my own.

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The Spirit of the Ship

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Chapter 19: La Caída de un Dios

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Danny stood across from Gustavo, gazing a hole into him. Gustavo's eyes showed frustration over his halt of killing Jack.

"I'll tell you what," Gustavo said, "I'll send you back to your time if you surrender."

"Why should I trust you?" Danny said. "You betray anyone within three feet of you!"

Gustavo gave a chuckle and said, "It's a hobby."

"Enough of this funny stuff," Danny said, wanting to get down to business. He drew out his sword and gave Gustavo a hand gesture that told him, "Bring it." All Gustavo could do was laugh maniacally.

"Danny, you must be stupid!" Gustavo said, unable to cantain himself. After regaining his composure, he told Danny, "Let me explain it to you: this staff makes me immortal. You couldn't kill me even if I let you. Second: this staff also makes me all-powerful. Earth, wind, fire, water, and lightning are all at my command. And finally, I saw what Skulker did to you the last moment. He made you powerless. You're just a regular boy with nothing special. I can cut you into pieces and spread you amongst the dirt! So tell me Danny: why do you still want to fight me?"

"I'm doing this for now," Danny said, then running towards Gustavo, "and for later!"

Danny swung his sword and made contact Gustavo's, which blocked his shot. Keeping the blades crossed, Gustavo looked down at his adversary and shouted, "Fool!"

Gustavo pushed Danny back for an attack of his own. Danny moved out of the way to Gustavo's side, thinking he could strike at a more vulnerable area. Gustavo's quick reflexes protected him as he slid his block into an attack. Danny jumped back, avoiding the same fate Jack had. Gustavo jumped back himself and forced a great gust of wind in Danny's direction. It took Danny by surprise as he took a lot of its blow, but he kept himself low to avoid getting pushed back any further than he was. His sneakers were still getting dragged across the dirt.

Danny struggled to keep his ground, soon realizing his feet were dangerously close to the edge. He tried getting away from it only to lose his balance and be swept away. Danny had fortunatly grabbed the ledge, now blowing in the wind like a ribbon tied to a fan. It was then when Danny noticed the wind started dying down. He began to pull himself back up.

After struggling back to the rock's top, Danny couldn't help but wonder why Gustavo stopped his gust. After getting most of himself up, he found out why. The ground crumbled beneath him before he could even get back on his feet. Fortunately, Danny's hero-trained reflexes helped him get hold of the newly made ledge. He knew that ledge didn't crumble by accident. Gustavo did it, and Danny wanted a piece of him. Now trying harder than last time to pull himself up, Danny succeeded, only to have the ground below him break off again. He grabbed on the newer ledge just barely now, then grabbing his sword, which slipped out of his hand just during the rock's partial collapsing. It was then Danny saw the ground below him. He was not only moving towards the ocean, but rising higher above it. Now knowing that falling was the last thing he wanted to do, Danny pulled himself up again a third time with whatever might he had left from the previous two. His arms were incredibly worn out, but miraculously, he got back on land.

Danny just laid there, trying to recover, but he knew he had to do it quick. He saw Gustavo in a furious march shouting, "What does it take to KILL YOU!" Gustavo threw his blade back in a motion to strike once he approached Danny. Danny quickly rolled out of the way when Gustavo brought his sword down, but not quick enough. The sword scratched his right arm, cutting a hole through his shirt. Danny took quick hold of it with his free hand, then realized how close Gustavo was to him. Ignoring the pain for now, Danny let go of his wound and pulled up on Gustavo's legs, tripping him over. Danny quickly got himself up on his feet and was a good distance away from Gustavo before he got back up again.

The two circled eachother, not expecting what the other could do next. "You know how to endure," Gustavo commented to Danny. "I'll give you that."

"I always finish what I start, Gustavo," Danny said, then adding, "...except homework."

"Then allow me to finish this for you!" Gustavo said charging with a lunge that Danny easily evaded. Danny tried striking back, but Gustavo was too fast and blocked Danny's attempted hit. The two now put themselves in a fenzy of strikes, blocks, and counters with roll-dodging, booting, and near-hits galore.

"Tell me Danny," Gustavo said, just cocky enough to gloat during their barrage, "why is i we're still fighting? Maybe I'm not skilled enough." He bent his body back to avoid a horizontal swing. "Maybe we're equally matched." He brought his sword down to cross with Danny's. "Or maybe it's because..." At the end of that, Gustavo sent a surge of electricity into Danny, who screamed in pain in responce. "...I'm not using the staff's power like I ought to."

Danny was being drained like a battery with the intense shock. Figuring it was the only way to stop, Danny let go of his sword, which he later found was a dumb move. The surge did stop, but Danny's sword was quickly scooted over the rocks edge by Gustavo, sending it into the ocean, which they had to've been over by now.

Finding himself defenseless, Danny only put up his fists in hopes to intimidate Gustavo. Judging by his chuckle, it didn't work. Danny was too busy concentrating on Gustavo to notice a large slab of rock flying at him from his side. It hit him with unforgiving impact. Danny now found himself pinned under the rock, trying unsuccessfully to escape.

"Demasiado fácil," Gustavo said with a hint of arrogance as he walked over to where Danny was lying. Neither were aware of Captain Jack Sparrow coming to.

Jack quietly awoke, his leg still in pain, to find Danny in front of him a few yards away, and in serious trouble. Jack wanted to do something, but with an injured leg, his options were very limited.

"This is where it ends, Danny," Gustavo said, adding insult to injury by walking on top of the slab that had Danny pinned. Danny was suffering slowly, and all Jack could do was watch. But as he was watching, he took notice of something. The back of one of Gustavo's wrists was cut. Not only cut, but bleeding. In wonder of what was going on, Jack recalled something when he was in Italy.

Jupiter knew that any mortal could easily get to the staff and claim it for their own, along with godlike powers.

"So that's all it gave," Jack said quietly to himself, not to get Gustavo's attention. Acting fast, Jack reached for his gun, only to find it missing from where it was normally tucked. Looking around, he saw it to his right. He grabbed it and quickly pointed it at Gustavo, who appeared to be ready to give Danny's head a nasty pierce.

"You were only given the powers of a god, Gustavo!" Jack shouted. Gustavo reacted to the call by turning around, to which he got a bullet to the chest not long after hearing a bang. He stepped from the bullet's impact with his hand over the pain-striken area. A look mixed with awe and anger came to his face as he saw blood seeping through his vest and onto his hand.

"You were never made into one, though."

Falling to his knees, weakened and light-headed, Gustavo gave a furious growl and said directly to Jack, "Le odio," before hitting the ground face-first, dead. The rain stopped almost as soon as he hit the ground.

"I don't know what he said," said Jack, trying to get himself back up, then limping towards Danny, "but I doubt those were very fitting last words. Now let's get that slab off of you."

Jack tried pushing the rock off. As predicted, it was very heavy.

"Wait a minute," Danny said, noticing the current situation, "how is this big rock floating if Gustavo's DEEEEEAAAA-!" The rock plummeted before Danny could finish his sentence.

The rock that was once a small battleground in the sky was now falling. It was very high up, and even hitting the water could mean doom for anyone one top of it.

"Use the staff!" Danny told Jack, stating the only option he could think of.

Jack grabbed onto the staff quickly, while it was still on Gustavo's strap. He looked at it blankly, then turned to Danny and said, "How does this thing work?"

"I don't know!" Danny honestly answered. "Just think about it or something!"

"Er..." Jack said, trying to figure out what to do. He finally shouted, "STOP!" The rock came to a sudden halt, the momentum bumping Danny and Jack hard into the ground. Jack looked at the staff in his hand and said, "That's interesting."

Jack looked back at Danny, who was still pinned under the slab. He looked at the slab and motioned it to the left, to which it responded by doing so. "Very interesting."

Jack took the staff off of Gustavo's body, then proceeded to rolling the body into the ocean. Danny saw this and asked, "What are you doing?"

"The others only have to know we beat him," Jack said, finally pushing the body over the edge. "They don't need to see this though." Gustavo's body splashed into the ocean below, then sank into the dark abyss.

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Adriana, Will, Elizabeth, and Norrington had all noticed the rain stopped from the smithing shop. They rushed to Gustavo's rock, which they saw lower near the port. Norrington drew out his blade, as did Will, who had grabbed one of many from the shop. Adriana and Elizabeth stood behind them for protection. It was all four's surprise and splendor what they saw.

Jack and Danny were standing triumphant on the rock. Both looked battleworn, with Jack having an evident black eye and supporting himself more on his left leg, and Danny with a cut and slightly reddened sleeve. The magical staff in Jack's hand, however, showed proof of their victory.

As the rock was nearing the closest peir, Adriana ran through Will and Norrington, onto the pier, jumped onto the rock and gave Danny a massive hug. Danny didn't know how to take this, so he hugged Adriana back, turning as red as a radish.

"I was so worried about you," Adriana said, on the verge of tears.

"Can we do this a little later, Adriana?" Danny said, his voice full of embarasment. "We're kind of starting a scene."

"Ah, young love," Jack joked. He then turned to Will and company and shouted, "Will, could you help me out a bit? That fight with Gustavo really took a lot out of me, savvy?"

Will responded by coming to the rock and supporting Jack, who put his arm around his shoulder for leverage. Norrington was right behind him, wishing to have a word with Jack.

"Jack Sparrow," he began.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Jack corrected.

"Fine," Norrington said, clearly irritated. "Captain Jack Sparrow, you have plundered these seas countless times, robbed many aperson, you even went as far as impersonating a cleric of the Church of England!" He noticed Jack grinned widely over that last one. "But on this day, I consider you a hero." Jack seemed deeply moved.

"I thank you for your comments, Commodore," Jack said. "One small favor though. Do you think we can put hold on the gallows?"

"Only until I hear of you in another act of piracy," Norrington smiled.

Jack put the staff in the hand he had around Will and used his now free hand to grab and shake Norrington's hand.

"It appears we've come to an accord then," Jack said to the now aghast commodore. Norrington quickly wiped his hand on his pant leg after the shake, not wanting to know where Jack's hand has been over his many years as a pirate.

"Now," Jack said, "let's get this staff over to the smith's and have itmelted and done with."

"Wait!" Danny quickly said, having all heads turn towards him. "I figured out that that staff has time powers. I can use it and get back to my time!"

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here?" Jack asked. "You'd make a mighty fine pirate, I reckon."

"I've think I've been away from home long enough," Danny said. "Just give me a few hours, though."

"Do you need to regain your powers?" Adriana asked.

"Not just that," Danny said, "I am super tired." Everyone shared a laugh as they went back into town.

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Well, there you go. The long-awaited, yet action-wise disappointing, but probably best written to me, chapter of my fiction. Just one more chapter until this thing is done with. BTW, "la caída de un dios" is spanish for "the fall of a god". So, TTFN. Ta-ta for now.